Edible Schoolyard

Edible Schoolyard (ESY), is "a program of the Chez Panisse Foundation, and also "a one-acre organic garden and kitchen classroom for urban public school students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California. At ESY, students participate in all aspects of growing, harvesting, and preparing nutritious, seasonal produce. Classroom teachers and Edible Schoolyard educators integrate food systems concepts into the core curriculum. Students’ hands-on experience in the kitchen and garden fosters a deeper appreciation of how the natural world sustains us and promotes the environmental and social well-being of our school community." "Students harvest and prepare produce as part of their garden and kitchen classes. However, produce grown in the garden is not used for school lunch."

Sewage Sludge Industry Gives an 'Award' to Alice Waters and Edible Schoolyard
The major sewage sludge industry front group, US Composting Council, gave Alice Waters and her Chez Panisse Foundation an 'award' in January, 2011. "The H. Clark Gregory Award to Promote Grassroots Efforts in Composting" was awarded to Alice Waters, Chez Panisse Foundation and their Edible Schoolyard program which promotes children growing food from their own gardens. The award is given each year to an individual who has displayed outstanding service." The USCC also sponsors International Compost Awareness Week to promote sewage sludge "compost," and works closely with its members BioCycle magazine, Synagro, Water Environment Federation and other lobbyists for growing food in sewage sludge.

Chez Sludge
The Food Rights Network released a major investigative report on July 9, 2010 titled: Chez Sludge: How the Sewage Sludge Industry Bedded Alice Waters. It examines the conflicts of interest and collusion between the Chez Panisse Foundation and the SFPUC based on an extensive open records investigation of the SFPUC internal files. (To view the internal documents see: SFPUC Sludge Controversy Timeline.)

"Edible Schoolyard" Affiliate Gardens
EYS affiilates exist now in Greensboro, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco.

According to its website, "the Chez Panisse Foundation is developing quality partnerships with a handful of programs ... .  Our affiliates are located in a variety of settings, with diverse communities, climates, and funding sources. While our affiliates are not identical to the Berkeley program, they share our goal of instilling in children a lifelong appreciation of the connections between food, health, and the environment.  ... We are currently not accepting applications for our affiliate program."

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Chez Panisse Foundation
 * Alice Waters
 * Francesca Vietor